You're asking the wrong question too soon
Jeff, I don't mean to sound critical but I think you're best served by candid replies...Asking which 25' to 35' sailboats are good Lake boats also capable of offshore sailing is like asking us what foods you should be buying. Which meal? For how long? For how many? What do you like to eat?!I'd respectfully suggest that a better question for you to ask right now might be: "For the X area of Lake Erie, how & where can I hope to get more exposure to sailing and to sailors who own boats...all so I can take a step or two closer to one day owning my own boat, by which time I may know how I'll want to use?" There are usually all kinds of ways for motivated sailors to get sailing on others' boats...and perhaps equally important, to work on them and learn about boat systems, as well. It sounds like this is the kind of advice you need for your sailing area, at least for now.BTW keep in mind that some folks do a Caribbean cruise without ever spending more than a day or three offshore, while benefiting from good weather info and therefore using fairly reliable windows for each leg. To begin to understand how you take the relatively less risky (and perhaps easier; some people disagree) route down to the Caribbean, pick up a copy of Bruce VanSant's PASSAGE's SOUTH. Personally, I think some of Bruce's advice needs to be read by every cruising sailor, regardless of their intended destination(s).Also keep in mind that folks circumnavigate (let alone make many smaller passages) in all kinds of boats. A Cal 27 recently completed a circumnavigation with no structural problems...but that means nothing about Cal 27's while it says a whole lot about the sailor who sailed it. OP's opinions (including mine) about what kind of boat *you* should use, for a cruise *you* want to make, can only help you a little bit. Better you form your own impressions, based on your budget, your goals, and what you want from a boat.Hope this proves helpful for you, even if it isn't terribly comforting to hear.Jack